Christmas-tree holder.



W; A. MITCHELL. GHRISTMAS TREE HOLDER. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 31, 1909.

d F wkmmssws- 1L9? mp2? WILLIAM ARTHUR MITCHELL, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK.

CHRISTMAS-TREE HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed January 31, 1908. Serial No. $13,604.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIAM ARTHUR MIToHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newburgh, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Christmas-Tree Holder, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for sup porting a Christmas tree in an upright position, and is designed to afford a device embodying absolute simplicity with cheapness of structure; which can be quickly and conveniently adjusted and applied to any ordinary diameter of Christmas tree trunk; which will afiord ample lateral support therefor on all sides; which will allow of the use of a tree having branches very low and close to the point of support; and which can be readily taken apart and packed in compact form for storage or transportation.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed specifically.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a top view of the entire holder; Fig. 2, a view of the under side of the holder; Fig. 3, an edge view; and Fig. i, a section upon plane of line 4: l, Fig. 1.

My device is knock down in character, in that the parts may be readily assembled for use, and as readily taken apart and packed in a comparatively small space.

It consists essentially of two clamping bars A, A, two cross braces B, B, (said clamping bars and cross braces being preferably of uniform length) two bolts C, C, and connections, and the screws Gr, all of which, when taken apart, may obviously be packed together in parallel positions and in close contact, when not desired for use.

When assembled for use, a cross brace B, is fitted to each clamping bar A, being inserted in one of the recesses F, formed for its reception in the clamping bar A, the two parts being secured together by a screw Gr, so as to constitute together a rectangular, L-shaped member. The two L-shaped members thus formed are laid together around ing bars the tree trunk with the clamping bars parallel and the cross braces B of one clamping bar A, resting in a recess F of the opposed clamping bar. The screw bolts C, C, are then passed through coinciding holes formed for their reception (see Fig. 4:) in the clamp ing bars, and the washers E, E, and thumb nuts D, D, applied.

The opposed surfaces of the clamping bars A, are formed with coinciding vertical concave bearing surfaces H, H, for contact with the tree trunk. These concave bearing surfaces, H, H, hug the convex surface of the tree trunk and prevent any slip or inclination thereof when the clamping bars A, are firmly secured to the trunk by means of the thumb nuts D.

By my arrangements of parts a broad and uniform area of lateral floor support is attained on all sides of the tree trunk; and as the height of the device is that of the clamp A, which is but slight, say 2?,- inches, it is obvious that a tree trunk having very low branches may be used, thereby economizing space and affording a more attractive appearance. The brace rods not only afford floor support but also by sliding in the opposed clamping bars preserve the alinement and relation of the parts, while permitting the adjustment of the clamping bars with relation to each other and to the tree.

The rectangular members formed each by the securing together of a clamping bar A, and a cross brace B, each rectangular member being slidable upon and with relation to the other in such manner as to preserve the alinement of the parts and the parallelism of the clamping bars A, A, constitute a distinguishing feature of my invention, and enable me to produce a cheap device of great simplicity, which may be readily as sembled and applied for use, or taken apart and stored in compact form without the aid of skilled labor or the use of extraneous tools or appliances.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

In a device of the character designated, the combination of two members each consist-ing of a clamping bar, and a cross brace, bolts connecting the opposed clamping bars said clalgping bar ming provideddwith a as and for the purpose specified.

concave earin sur ace and secure to the cross brace at r i ght angles thereto, the cross WILLIAM ARTHUR MITCHELL brace of one member being slidable in a reoess formed for its reception in the clamp- I ing bar of the other member, and a series of Vitnesses EDMUND SPENCER, J12, VVILLIAM E. JOHNSON. 

